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Sniper: Ghost Warrior
As opposed to games such as Crysis 2, Duke
Nukem Forever or Bulletstorm, City Interactive's Sniper: Ghost Warrior
is a much more grounded game. There are no over the top action sequences
in this game (not that there's wrong with
that) but rather, Sniper: Ghost Warrior focuses on realism as the player takes the
role of a sniper as they attempt to eliminate their victims with their
sniper rifle. Given that, you cannot just run around with guns blazing
as you need to ensure that you are hidden throughout the majority of the
game and without stealth, the game becomes quite a frustrating
experience. However not all the game is about stealth and certain
situations require you to get rather close to your enemies.
The formulaic story of Sniper: Ghost Warrior has the player and his
partner being sent to a hot spot in the world in order to prevent this
republic from breaking out into civil war. Simple hey? Not really, you
need to ensure that the rebels are assisted in removing this new despot
in their country. With that said, the story does take a back
seat to the gameplay as you explore this diverse gaming environment.
Even though the game is quite linear, there is quite a bit of
exploration available to the player as you walk through jungles and
buildings to complete your missions.
Similar to the Tom Clancy games,
your sniper has a stealth meter on the gaming hud which warns you when
you're being too frivolous such as being too noisy or being out in the
open. It's definitely a much needed feature to this game but it also
puts a gaming chastity belt around you in terms of freedom. Given that,enemies can be taken out three ways. The simplest method is using
your sniper rifle or if things get too messy, you have quick access to
your knife and finally, the alternative is to sneak around them.
AI is too alert in this game and they are employing some heightened force powers to
search out your character. Even when I've been absolutely silent and
using all my Tom Clancy stealth skills, they have somehow pin pointed in
a crowded environment that is filled with foliage. Then on other
occasions, they seem to ignore your shots as their team mates drop one
by one. It's these inconsistencies that make Sniper: Ghost Warrior a
little unpolished.
One issue with the
combat and this is similar to those hunting games is that if you make
too much noise or alert the enemy of your whereabouts, it's pretty much
game over and you'll need to reload. I can appreciate the fact City
Interactive have leaned towards a realistic game but sometimes the AI is
just too good or they have Superman hearing and vision.
However,
thankfully this realistic approach means that generally one shot by your
sniper rifle which fell your opponent. You do need the patience when you
use your sniper rifle though because you need to take into account the
wind and even your breathing to ensure that your shot is not wasted.
It's actually not that complex because there is a tutorial level at the
start of the game to teach you the ins and outs of being a sniper. The
rest is then up to the player.
A cool aspect about using the sniper
rifle is that the developers have incorporated bullet-time for your
bullets so when you successfully hit your target, the camera follow the
bullets which looks quite impressive as your victim gets violently thrust
back with a stream of blood.
Although the controls have been well mapped on the DualShock controller,
there are some issues with the control which is more a graphical issue.
The graphics of Sniper: Ghost Warrior are not bad for a smaller gamer
company but it does look a tad dated at times. The environments are
quite busy as well such as the jungles that you navigate. Unfortunately
there is some clipping issues and on a few occasions, I did get stuck
between a rock and hard place but more specifically a rock and a tree.
Given that, not all the physics of the game work well with the gaming
environment and your movement does look a little awkward at time.
Graphically, Sniper:
Ghost Warrior is not the nicest looking game available and as this game
has been out for awhile on the XBox 360 and PC, it does look like a first
generation game for the PlayStation 3. Although there is some detail in
the game, textures look a little lacklustre and character models are too
Spartan. If the game was released three years ago as of today, it would
have received a higher score. It is not helped by the stiff animation
either. Sound effects however are well used in the game, especially the
sound of your sniper rifle going off.
In the end, Sniper: Ghost Warrior is unfortunately a mediocre first
person shooter strategy game that attempts to breach the world of
realism with its no frills action and realistic content. It's just a
shame that the game isn't as polished as many of the modern releases
today such as Call of Duty: Black ops or Crysis 2. These are
unfortunately the bench mark of first person shooter games today and all
other companies must try to reach this benchmark. Yes, we did mention
Duke Nukem Forever early in the review but even though that didn't have
the graphics of Black ops or Crysis 2, it had character and a hell of a
lot of charm. Check this game out as a rental before you buy. |
